


You'll Love Me At Once

by PhantombMoll



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Archie deserves some love, Belladonna is Aurora's biological grandmother .... oooohhhhh lets see what happens there, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Heartbreak too, because ALL THE FEELINGS, like this is going to make you cry one minute and make you want to explode with rainbows the next, mushy romance TBH, so here it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantombMoll/pseuds/PhantombMoll
Summary: In the Fairytale World Belladonna is caught between living the life her overprotective aunts want and the life she wants. That is until she meets a young Jiminy searching for a similar sort of freedom. Meanwhile in the Land Without Magic with the help of a certain Doctor and his Dalmatian Bea starts to find the confidence to take charge of her life.Archie x OCArchie deserved better, so here's some mushy romance and fun fic featuring our favourite cricket.
Relationships: General canon relationships tbh!, Jiminy Cricket | Archie Hopper/Original Female Character(s), Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Kudos: 5





	1. Thistle

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I don't think I really need to give any disclaimers, we all know this is fanfiction and the only bits that are mine are the original bits I've come up with.
> 
> This story is a complete upgrade and rework of a fanfiction I wrote back whilst watching the first season of OUAT - the original fic featured an OC version of Sleeping Beauty and shipping her and Archie together. I still feel like Archie doesn't get enough love! So even though I never really finished OUAT and the first season is still my favourite, I thought I'd revisit this and potentially revisit OUAT too.
> 
> As OUAT played with the Sleeping Beauty story, I decided to add an extra layer on that and Belladonna will, eventually, be revealed to be Aurora's biological grandmother (though you'll have to wait to see how that plays out.) Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't think I really need to give any disclaimers, we all know this is fanfiction and the only bits that are mine are the original bits I've come up with.
> 
> This story is a complete upgrade and rework of a fanfiction I wrote back whilst watching the first season of OUAT - the original fic featured an OC version of Sleeping Beauty and shipping her and Archie together. I still feel like Archie doesn't get enough love! So even though I never really finished OUAT and the first season is still my favourite, I thought I'd revisit this and potentially revisit OUAT too.
> 
> As OUAT played with the Sleeping Beauty story, I decided to add an extra layer on that and Belladonna will, eventually, be revealed to be Aurora's biological grandmother (though you'll have to wait to see how that plays out.) Please enjoy!

"Now don't go too far Jiminy." His mother called as he wandered off.

"Remember we need you for today's show and steal." His father added.

Jiminy sighed and adjusted his glasses, raising a hand to acknowledge his parents calls as he headed off for a walk. He liked the sound of the forest it was peaceful yet brimming with life. A perfect chorus of nature, leaves crunching beneath his feet, streams cutting swiftly through trees that were filled with songbirds and squirrels. The smell too, life in motion. Nothing compared to the music of the crickets on a summer night but this, these moments of quiet, almost did.

#?#

"Here's the list Belladonna. Now-" Iris said.

"I know, don't speak to any strangers, not that we get any around here and be back by sunset." Bella replied.

"The forest is a dangerous place at night." Belladonna silently mimicked Iris as she repeated the same words she said every time Belladonna left the cottage. Ever since she was old enough to walk Belladonna's Aunts; Iris, Flora and Faun had always told her the same thing about the forest. The world beyond it was full of more dangers than she could imagine and sometimes those dangers crossed into the forest; she was not to talk to strangers, strange creatures or leave the forest boundaries. In recent years their worry only seemed to have grown but at least they had allowed her to go into town for them and to forage for plants and herbs they needed.

It had taken Bella a long time to realise that there was no magical boundary around the forest, if she stepped outside of it nothing terrible happened, if she ventured beyond the perimeters her aunts set, nothing happened. As a child she barely spoke to anyone except the odd child who wandered to far from camp. Her main friends were animals, insects, flora and fauna. As she grew though she started to interact with the travelling groups who often camped in the forest, at first it was flitting around the edges and listening to stories until she gained the courage to talk to them and learn new things from them.

Bella left the small cottage with the sound of her aunts arguing about how someone should be going with her and started out into the forest. The cottage was set off the paths, fully concealed in a rough ring of trees. She was quickly joined by Perdy, a fox who'd started following her around moons ago now. Bella tickled behind Perdy's ear and started out.

"Yellow Peppermint, Ivory Vine, Hazel Moss, Ash Tarragon. Wonder what they're making today?" Bella wondered. "Maybe it's something for the travelling folk that have set up near the village. Most of this is around here so we shouldn't be too long today, then I can work on this." Bella pulled a slightly worn looking book from her bag and smiled at the fox. "Hopefully I can finish that sketch of the Cinder Creeper today, I don't think I've quite got the barbs right." She said sliding the book back into her satchel.

"Did you know Perdy, that in some cultures, the lords greet the ladies thusly, handing them a thistle and the ladies take this position and then-" Bella trailed off as she plucked a thistle from the ground. She hummed a tune and moving in steps that she'd seen travellers mimicking at one time or another.

Bella was so lost in her explanations to Perdy and the movements that she hadn't noticed the figure in the tree's watching her.

#?#

Jiminy heard a soft humming, almost singing but not quite. His feet took him closer to the sound almost unconsciously.

"And then the men offer their hands to the women, like so, and the women take their hands." He heard a young woman's voice as the humming stopped.

Jiminy, heard no reply and wondered who it was she was talking to, he moved deftly through the forest, trying to step in the soft mossy tree roots to ensure he remained undetected. The older he got the harder this got, maybe, it also had something to do with the fact he no longer wanted to be able to steal for his parents.

Jiminy peered around a tree to see a beautiful young woman dancing around the forest floor. A fox sat watching her obediently. Blonde hair whipped round as she twisted and turned. Her feet gliding across the forest floor like they were at one with it. Jiminy moved around the trees watching her, he was trying to pluck up the courage to say hello, but words failed him.

"And then they all live happily ever after." She sighed, plucking some mushrooms that were growing out of the tree and a few berries, adding them to the basket in her hand.

Jiminy thought about stepping out then, introducing himself to her. He couldn't though he was too frightened, why would a girl like her want to talk to a thing like him. His mother always said he was too quiet, too odd, too much of a coward. He was a jester, a peasant, lacking in charm and wit and anything else that might make him desirable. No girl would want to marry someone so invisible, so it was best he stayed where he was, with his mother and father.

Jiminy moved again trying to get a better look at the young woman but he wasn't paying attention and a crack like a gunshot echoed through the quiet of the forest as he stepped on a branch between two tree roots.

Belladonna spun around, searching the woods for the source of the noise. Jiminy pressed himself against the back of a tree holding his breath and preying she wouldn't see him.

"Hello?" Bella asked, walking forward a little, looking braver than she felt as an uneasy feeling started to settle in and every warning her aunts had ever given her raced through her mind. Kindly travellers and children weren't the only thing that wandered from the path. "Hello?"

Jiminy tried to shift quietly but he stepped onto another rotting piece of root, the noise that times scared a nearby rabbit that bolted through the woods.

"Go, go Perdy." Bella said suddenly taking off in the opposite direction, not waiting or willing to find out what had been making the noise.

Jiminy, waited, breathing hard. Listening for the sound of men, the sound of feet on the ground, someone to come and see what had scared the maiden. There was nothing though, and eventually he wiped his brow and pushed his glasses back up his nose. What had he been thinking? It wasn't like he would have been able to talk to her, he was no prince, no charming hero. He was a thief and a liar and as his mother took great pleasure in telling him, he always would be.

He started to move in the opposite direction the young woman had run, as he glanced back though, he saw she'd dropped her satchel. He walked towards it, picking it up. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't resist peeking inside. It was filled with half broken pencils, and a mid-sized book with a rusty red-looking cover. His curiosity grew and he pulled it out, hearing the spine crack as he did and thumbed through the pages. There were so many drawings, plants, flowers, trees, insects, even animals and there were notes on every page about each thing. Notes relating to healing, to health, to spells and magic. It was only half done, which meant she was writing it. He stopped, a few pages in, where he found a glorious drawing of a cricket. The notes at the side held some basic information, followed by a section entitled lore.

_Crickets can be; good luck, signify the coming rain, black crickets can mean illness, grey can mean money and green hope._

She'd outlined hope in tiny green flecks and Jiminy ran his finger over the word. He always like the green crickets best.

He had to return it to her. He'd come back here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next until he found her. He wouldn't let it fall into his parent's hands either.


	2. Buttons

“Pongo!” Archie chastised the dog. He was trying to do up his coat buttons when the hound had tugged hard on his lead and Archie’s finger had caught the button causing one to fly off and the other to come lose.

“You might need this.” A voice said.

“Henry!” Archie beamed at him. “Why, aren't you at school yet?”

“I still have twenty minutes yet.” Henry replied giving Pongo a loving scratch.

“So, you do! But you better run along, you don't want to be late, besides, I’ll have to swap my coat now.” Archie urged him.

“Or see about getting it fixed.” Henry smiled passing him the button. “You could always take it to Sewscape, I bet they can stitch it back together in no time.”

Every morning, evening and even between patients Archie took Pongo for a walk. It helped him think and helped clear his head of the stresses of the day. He particularly liked taking him through the woods with nothing but the peace of nature at work around him. Pongo was his constant companion and, though he should really know better, there was part of him that believed the dog knew more than he would ever be able to tell. He had a perfect intuition, sometimes even better than Archies.

Archie looked at the button in his hand as Henry dashed off for school. It did need fixing, this was his favourite coat and despite being a bit weather beaten it was in perfect condition, to throw it away over a button would be silly. He could try and sew it back on himself, but he knew that Sewscape and the, some-what eccentric sisters who owned it, would be much better placed to fix it.

The shop was small, dealing in fixings, fittings, custom designs, alterations, and costumes for the theatre productions. It always smelt a little musty with a hint of something that Archie couldn’t quite put his finger on, he suspected it to be dye or some type of fabric glue. The bell tinkled as he entered, and he was immediately met by its three formidable owners.

'Dr Hopper!' Rose smiled looking up over her glasses.

'How are you?' Sunny beamed.

'What can we do you for?' Faline, added, all business as ever.

All three were women in their sixties and all three were formidable in their own right, but by far the most formidable of the three was Faline. Wo-betide anyone who stood in that woman’s way or caused her trouble. She’d see to it they were dealt with instantly. She was the oldest too, stockily built with short grey hair. Rose was next, she was whip-smart, excellent with numbers and puzzles and always the first to solve any mystery that tv, film or novella threw the towns way. If Storybrooke didn’t have such a low crime rate, Archie suspected Rose might have ended up getting involved in trying to solve a few. Instead she wrote short mystery stories. Mostly about a detective character she’d created who resembled Leroy. Finally, the softest of the group was Sunny. Sunny by name and sunny by nature. Where Faline was square Sunny was round, where Rose was straight, Sunny curved. She boasted full cheeks and sparkling eyes, a kind word for everyone, a shoulder to cry on and the life and soul of any party, bake sale or town fete.

“Oh, you haven't left Pongo outside have you, you know he’s always welcome in here!” Sunny said as she linked his free arm and they steered him towards the counter.

“I-I didn’t want him to get hair on everything. I was just wondering if you could fix this for me?” He shrugged out of his coat to show them the damage and fished around in his pocket for the missing button. “In fact, I think there’s a small hole in a pocket that could do with a patch too.”

“Certainly.” Faline said taking the button from him and holding it in her hand. “We’ll have it done by the end of the day, unless you want to wait?”

“No, no I’ll come back later.” Archie said before he could get drawn into any gossiping.

“Don't forget your ticket!” Rose said handing it over to him, he was grateful for the ticket, he imagined his coat could get lost amongst the jumble in here. Archie turned to leave and just spotted through the glass of the door Bea, the sister’s niece, showering Pongo with affection, crouched down in front of him and allowing him to pounce all over her.

“Sorry, I can never resist a dog.” She apologised stepping away from Pongo and chewing her lip as Archie came outside.

“N-not at all, I'm sure Pongo enjoyed the attention.” He smiled.

Bea was something of a mystery within his own circle of friends in Storybrooke. Though her aunts were constantly in Granny’s, and Sunny was the life and soul of the party, one could almost forget Bea existed at times. When you were reminded though it was pleasant, like catching a scent that brings happy memories forth. Bea never really seemed to be out of the shop, not during the day anyway. Maybe it was just they ran in different circles, which would be understandable when wanting to escape her aunts, but Archie didn’t think he’d really heard about her anywhere else. No mentions in any sessions by clients, he never really caught her out walking, and he’d certainly never overheard anyone talking about her in town.

The only things he, and anyone else within their circle knew was what Sunny revealed, when drunk. She usually ended up talking about how lonely Bea seemed, that she never seemed to do anything but work. She used to talk to Granny about how she never seemed to have fun, never seemed to let her hair down, how she always seemed to just be shut up in her room. Sunny always blamed Faline, who was overprotective too a fault.

Somehow Archie couldn’t connect the version in his head, the version her aunts and the town had helped to form of this reclusive hermit, with the person stood before him now. The person who was fussing over Pongo again as he stuck his nose in her hand.

“Well he deserves it, don’t you boy.” Bea said, ruffling Pongo’s ears and face. A loud rapping suddenly sounded on the window and Bea looked up to see Faline gesturing for her to stop messing about and come inside.

“I should-” She gestured to the shop and Archie noticed how her eyes rolled and her face fell.

“O-of course.” Archie said with a nod.

“Haven’t got time to be messing about with a dog! We’ve got things to be getting on with, have you seen the stack of costumes Esme dropped off before for the school play and-” The door closed softly and whatever Faline was saying to Bea was lost too Archie and Pongo. 


	3. Once A Lonely Caterpillar

"Come on Jiminy." His mother hissed nudging him hard in the back, so that he'd step forward into the crowd and begin their routine of picking out people to steal from. The man his mother had decided on looked like he had money.

"S-sorry," Jiminy said bumping into him, this would be an opportune time to slip a hand into his pocket were they based at a fete, and had his father not been half way through the show. "M-may I say what a wonderful neckerchief that is sir!" Jiminy added to make up for his faux pas, the gentlemen looked him up and down disdainfully.

"For what is life, without a little magic." His father chimed, from the front of the crowd, they made appreciative noises. As the man started to pass by him.

"Well hello there." Jiminy's mother stepped in front of the gentleman with a wide smile. "I'm sorry is my son bothering you?" she asked scratching at her bosom in a way Jiminy had learnt a long time ago got the attention of more unscrupulous characters.

"Not at all ma'am." The stranger seemed to go a little pink as Jiminy's mother offered him lemonade to make up for her clumsy son, she took his arm and led him away from Jiminy who shuddered at the thought of how far his mother might go to steal what she wanted from him.

It always surprised him that this didn't bother his father more. Wasn't it a betrayal? Her going off with another man like that? Neither of them seemed to feel it though, when either of them wandered off with ladies and gentlemen for flirtations that led to more stolen goods, they celebrated. Never angry. Jiminy couldn't see that as true love, it didn't seem like it, not the sort of 'good' true love that he'd heard about in stories. He believed his parents were together out of necessity, that they provided something for each other that ensured survival. Jiminy had no doubt though, if the moment came for one of them to find a fortune or comfortable life by leaving the other behind, they would.

If Jiminy found love he wanted it to be true and soft and he wanted it to be all the things his parents didn't seem to be. He wanted, above all, it to be honest. He wanted to love someone the way he'd read about. He wanted someone to love him for who he was not what he could give them.

Jiminy disappeared behind the wagon, with his mother and father occupied he could sit down for a moment and indulge in another peek at the book the young lady had dropped. He'd managed to secure it to the underside of the wagon so it would remain hidden from his parents.

Jiminy ran his hands over the cover, over the inner pages, that had extra pages sandwiched in and pieces of paper attached here and there. Whoever she was, she'd worked hard to curate a litany of insects and plants. He peered back out from behind the wagon and decided that he probably had enough time now to try and return it.

#?#

Belladonna was unsure about going back to the same spot again. She felt uneasy, it had probably been nothing, no one, but her fear was that it was soldiers or ruffians and that they might have come back or camped out. She hadn't mentioned the incident to her aunts, they'd never let her out the house again and she'd not planned on going back there for a good few days, until she realised her satchel and the book was missing.

All her hardwork, the knowledge she was one day hoping to put to some use somewhere was lost, back to the wilderness from whence it came or, in the worst case scenario it was in the hands of some moronic scoundrel who was using it as kindling for his fire.

Thankfully when she arrived at the clearing, there were no signs of people. No fire, no logs positioned to sit on or lie against.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here." Bella said as Perdy strolled up to the clearing. "You can help me look for my satchel. I must have dropped it yesterday when the noise scared us, yes us. You took off just as fast." Bella said as Perdy seemed to lick her paw in an indignant sort of way.

Jiminy heard her, before he saw her. She was conversing with the same fox from the previous day, at least he assumed it was the same fox. She was kicking leaves out of the way and turning over logs, occasionally apologising to the inhabitants as she went. Jiminy braced his back against the tree he'd been hiding behind. He had what she was looking for right here, all he needed to do was step out and hand it over. Why then, was he so nervous?

"All my pencils and colours and drawings Perdy, it'll take years to build that back up. Where am I going to get another book from too?" Bella said sinking down against a tree and burying her hands in the leaves and mud of the forest floor.

 _Now_. Jiminy said to himself. _Now, step out now._ He couldn't though, he was frozen. She'd probably runaway at the first sight of him, even his own mother seemed to look on him with disdain. He'd been so stupid. Maybe he could just drop the satchel and run, she'd find it eventually.

"Maybe something picked it up and carried it away a little." Bella mused to herself getting back up and looking around the floor again, starting in one direction and then turning back. She started humming as she went that turned into singing quietly.

Jiminy caught snatches of the song as he stepped out from behind the tree;

_Then the spider and the dragon fly replied_

_If you're curious and want to win a bride_

He was struggling to find the words to say. When working with his parents, words came easy but now here, he was struggling, and she hadn't even noticed him yet.

"You have a very lovely wonderful." He mumbled. "I mean you have a wonderful lovely, I mean a lovely voice." He stumbled over his words as Bella looked up at him startled. She stepped in front of Perdy and the fox disappeared behind her skirts.

"It's lovely is all." He scratched his head and looked away from her.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Bella replied before cringing inwardly. Of all the things she could have said first, it had to be that. She couldn't have said something fierce in case he was a bandit or a scoundrel.

"Is this what you're looking for?" He asked her, holding up the satchel in his hand. "I found it, yesterday." He added, leaving out the fact he'd been the one to scare her, or that he'd been watching her.

"And you brought it back." Bella took the satchel, opening it and making sure everything was still there.

"I didn't take anything. Though I-I did look at your book, it's very nice." _It's very nice_ could he have sounded anymore pathetic, nice wasn't a good word, he should have used beautiful or elegant or exquisite, because those drawings weren't _just nice._

Bella swallowed, looking up at him, trying to get a measure of him. Mostly she was wary of young men in the woods, though that was a terribly judgemental place to be. Anyone, after all could pose a danger but Iris had made it quite clear that men, young men, were the most dangerous. He didn't seem very dangerous though and he had brought her bag back.

"Jiminy." He said holding out one hand for her to shake and using the other to adjust his glasses on his face nervously.

"Thank you, for returning my satchel, but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." Bella repeated. The reaction that was happening in her was similar to that before she approached a traveller's camp. Part of her wanted desperately to shake his hand, to introduce herself but Iris' voice in her head reminded her of all the things that could go wrong.

"Unfortunately, that's part of my every day. It's not what I'd like to do though I'd li-"

"I have to go. I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." It was rude of her to cut him off, but she had too. There was a funny feeling in her chest, like being pulled towards something. Like the world had just shifted on its axis for her. She needed to unpick this feeling and decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. The need to run swam up inside her but the question was which direction, towards the potential danger like when she'd moved towards the wild horse caught in the trees, or away from it, like when she'd had to run after that bear had disturbed a wasps nest.

"I'm sorry! Thank you!" Bella cried as she took off at a run back through the woods, running away it was. She was a young woman and yet the thought of Iris knowing she'd been talking to a young man alone in the forest filled her with dread. Groups of people were one thing. A single man though, Iris wouldn't let her out of the cottage again, or she'd always make sure she had a chaperone. It'd be even worse if they knew he was quite handsome.

Jiminy, that had been his name. Bella wondered if she could draw him, just a tiny picture on a scrap of paper. She could caption it with; _Jiminy, handsome satchel returner._ He had looked nice, he had been nice, he'd returned her bag after all and he'd been trying to tell her what he really wanted to do. Belladonna felt mean, how many times had she been cut off trying to share her dream with her aunts? Maybe she should go back. He'd be long gone by now though surely. No one was going to hang around after that panicked display.

#?#

'I didn't even get your name." Jiminy said to himself. _You have a lovely wonderful._ Honestly, it was no wonder she'd run in the opposite direction with him babbling at her after appearing out of nowhere. He'd probably spooked her and rightfully so, especially if she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers.


	4. Curious and Curiouser

Archie groped for his glasses and spotted the clock on his bedside table said 5am. He groaned, not even able to go back to sleep because he needed the bathroom, he sidled out of bed and into his slippers. The dream he'd been having was quickly disappearing into the brain fog that came with having to get up and move around. On his return to bed Archie noticed that Pongo wasn't there. It was unusual for the dalmatian not to be in his bed close to the foot of Archie's own. He could have gone downstairs himself for food or drink and taken up residence on the sofa though.

"Pongo?" Archie asked softly into the darkness. "Pongo?" He called again. Flicking lights on as he moved through the house. Pongo wasn't in any of his usual spots though. Archie called him again, trying to remain calm as anxiety started to rise in him and thoughts started to intrude. He knew he'd locked both doors, he was sure he had so there was no way Pongo could have gotten through them. Nothing was disturbed, suggesting he hadn't been broken into.

Archie felt the draft on the nape of his neck and turned to see the net curtains of the window seat moving in the wind. He closed his eyes and smacked his forehead with his hand. Clearly, he hadn't latched it properly. He'd meant to, he'd even told himself to double check but resisted. It would be more than easy for Pongo to nose the window up and slip out of it. Especially if he saw something he wanted to chase.

So much for going back to bed. Archie was going to have to get dressed now and go out looking for him. His irritation was shortly overwhelmed by worry. Most people in town knew Pongo was his dog and he was sure if someone had found him, they'd keep him safe until Archie could be notified. Still that didn't mitigate the other dangers out there. Cars, buses, the river and if there was anything bigger than a squirrel in the woods.

Rubbing his forehead, Archie made his way back upstairs to change.

#?#

Bea had snuck out. She was far too old to be sneaking out anywhere but needs must. There wasn't much she did without her aunts knowing, especially Faline, who seemed to be everywhere at once. She also didn't do much, in general. She was too busy between the shop and studying, she barely had time for a walk, let alone socialising. That didn't mean she didn't. Some nights she'd make her way to the bars on the opposite side of town for a drink. She liked those nights, she felt like she could be more of the person she wanted to be, and the queens and kings of Tipsy Time Speakeasy accepted her readily.

Tonight was not one of those nights. Tonight, well the morning, had been one of those times she had to get out of her boxy apartment to study. There were few times and places she could do this without running the risk of bumping into someone and them reporting, intentionally or not, what they'd seen back to Faline. Bea had folders and paper and a pencil case, as well as her bag strewn across the bench in front of the harbour. The morning dew was starting to settle in the pages of her notebook and was making it more difficult to write. She should really have gone back home but she needed to finish just one more section.

Bea was more than a little surprised when a wet stripe was licked across her hand and she saw the Dalmatian from yesterday. Pongo.

"Hello boy!" She greeted him putting down her pad and pen and turning all her attention onto the dog. "You definitely shouldn't be out here on your own should you, should you?" She asked running her hands over his head and ears as he tried to kiss her.

"Let's see if I've any treats?" She said routing through her satchel until she found half an oatmeal cookie. Which she handed over and he lapped up eagerly. "Couldn't you sleep either?" She asked scouring the road for Doctor Hopper but he was nowhere to be seen.

"You should get on home I bet you know the way." Bea said turning her attention back to her book. Pongo didn't move though, instead he sniffed at the pages and pushed his snout under her arm until she gave him more attention. Something inside her lifted. It was nice, for once, to not be rushing to hide everything she was working on, even if it was just from a dog. "Okay, stay here with me." She relented and stroked him some more. "But we need to get you home and I need to get back home too before anyone's awake. Any idea what time your human opens up? Or even just gets up." She asked but Pongo just tilted his head and then barked loudly into the night.

"Shhh, don't wake everyone up. The last thing I need is anyone seeing this." She gestured to the paperwork that fluttered in a small breeze.

"Pongo! Pongo!" Archie cried and the dog returned the call but didn't move from where he sat next to Bea.

"There you are boy! What do you think you're doing running off like that?" He said kneeling next to the dog and showering him with slightly scolding affection. Bea had started to gather up all her things, but she stopped to watch them with a smile.

"Oh, hello I didn't think anyone would be out this late, or rather early." Archie said, his eyes flitting to the mess of paperwork in Bea's arms that she was trying to cram into her satchel.

"I promise I was going to bring him by the office when you opened. I just didn't know where you lived either so I couldn't exactly drop him there and-" Bea chewed her lip as some of the papers dropped from her hands and she scrabbled to pick them up. Pongo left Archie for a moment wagging his tail and expecting affection from Bea, which he got.

"It seems he's quite taken with you." Archie smiled, who wouldn't be though. Bea was beautiful, in the morning air. "Thank you for keeping him company."

"It's a- it's not a problem, he's a good boy." Bea replied before scrabbling at the other bits of paper she'd dropped and cramming them into her bag. "I have to go." She said starting off in the opposite direction. Before turning and coming back rather quickly. "Do me a favour? Don't tell my aunts you saw me out here."

"I-I won't." Archie replied watching her curiously. She seemed worried, like she'd been found out doing something she shouldn't. She reminded Archie a little of a teenager who didn't want their parents to know they'd been out with a boy.

His curiosity was firmly peeked as he watched her walk across the square and towards home. He wondered what had been in all that paper. Maybe it was a book like her aunts and she just didn't want them to know or ask her about it. 5am seemed like an odd time to, to be out reading. He was sure there were better places than the edge of the docks. The park had huts for sitting in, she might have been happier there but then if she didn't want to be seen, this was a good place to be.

Archie turned to Pongo but the dog was already trotting off in the opposite direction with his nose in the air. As he walked home his mind turned over small details. He'd already established that she was acting as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't but he couldn't fathom, what in the real world would require all that paper and a book, with, if his memory was correct insects on the cover. The way she'd spoken about her aunts too, that prickled something of worry inside of him. Faline was a force to be reckoned with by anyone's accounts but could she be so controlling that her own grown up niece was afraid of her. That she had to work in secret at night?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed why not follow the story for updates!


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